Anthem Blue Cross agreed LA Times 10.27.2015 to end midyear policy changes that raise costs for consumers and to reimburse nearly $8.3 million to about 50,000 customers in California as part of a settlement of a class-action lawsuit announced Tuesday

Dave Jacobson, one of the plaintiffs, said he experienced this first-hand after he enrolled in a Blue Cross PPO Share $500 individual plan. In April 2011, he received medical services and Anthem Blue Cross acknowledged that he met his deductible and paid 70% of his bill. When he went back for follow-up tests three months later, he was told he needed to pay $50 more toward his deductible before the insurance company paid its percentage for his care.

According to the lawsuit, the midyear change to Jacobson’s yearly out-of-pocket maximum increased to $5,850 from $5,000. His annual prescription drug deductible increased to $275 from $250.

Checks will be mailed in December to 50,000 consumers, according to Consumer Watchdog, which jointly represented the plaintiffs. The average amount will be $167, although one unidentified consumer will receive $19,000 to compensate for particularly high out-of-pocket costs. Learn More LA Times 10.27.2015

Donald Trump said on Monday that his administration had come up with a formidable solution to Obamacare, but contends it is a complicated subject. ‘Nobody knew that healthcare could be so complicated,’ he said at the National Governors Association meeting at the White House, in which he discussed his upcoming budget. Trump is expected to offer further details on how he would like to overhaul Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law in a speech to Congress on Tuesday 2.17.2017 The Guardian.com

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